Princess Anne's courageous message revealed

The Princess Royal thwarted her would-be kidnapper's attempt to lure her out of a car late at night. 

Anne, 73, is recovering from a concussion and head injuries sustained during a horse-related incident at the Gatcombe Park estate on Sunday evening. 

She is known as one of the strongest and hardest-working royals, she has been discharged from Southmead Hospital in Bristol after several nights of care.

Despite the recent incident with the horse, this is not the first challenging experience for the King's sister. Her most harrowing ordeal occurred 50 years ago when she was the target of an attempted kidnapping and shooting in London. 

On March 20, 1974, as Anne's vehicle traveled down The Mall, it was blocked by another car. Ian Ball emerged, brandishing a shotgun, and shot the royal's chauffeur, security officer, and a press photographer who tried to intervene. Ball intended to abduct Anne and demand a £2 million ransom.

He told the royal to get out of the car - but she courageously replied in three words, "not bloody likely". The Princess tried to talk Ball down, telling him she would not leave the car. Thankfully, another witness who was walking past the scene at the time punched Ball in the head twice - finally bringing the incident to an end.

The late Queen gave all of the four people who Ball shot a medal as a thank you for helping to save her daughter's life. Ball later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping.

Anne talked about the terrifying moment in a documentary that celebrated her 70th birthday almost four years ago, saying she still remembers each moment "like photographs".